Real Brownfields Deserve Dollars I
read with interest the story on Brownfield development dollars in the
July 20 issue. I applaud Dan Lathrop and other county commissioners who
voted “No” on the Randolph Street project...

Hopping Mad Carlin
Smith is hopping mad (“Will You Get Mad With Me?” 7-20-15). Somebody
filed a fraudulent return using his identity, and he’s not alone. The AP
estimates the government “pays more than $5 billion annually in
fraudulent tax refunds.” Well, many of us have been
hopping mad for years. This is because the number one tool Congress has
used to fix this problem has been to cut the IRS budget –by $1.2 billion
in the last 5 years...

Just Grumbling, No Solutions Mark
Pontoni’s grumblings [recent Northern Express column] tell us much
about him and virtually nothing about those he chooses to denigrate. We
do learn that Pontoni may be the perfect political candidate. He’s
arrogant, opinionated and obviously dimwitted...

A Racist Symbol I
have to respond to Gordon Lee Dean’s letter claiming that the
confederate battle flag is just a symbol of southern heritage and should
not be banned from state displays. The heritage it represents was the
treasonous effort to continue slavery by seceding from a democratic
nation unwilling to maintain such a consummate evil...

Not So Thanks I
would like to thank the individual who ran into and knocked over my
Triumph motorcycle while it was parked at Lowe’s in TC on Friday the
24th. The $3,000 worth of damage was greatly appreciated. The big dent
in the gas tank under the completely destroyed chrome badge was an
especially nice touch...

Letters 06-11-2012

Patrick Sullivan proves here that there’s always ONE side to every story (re: “Upland Forest or Forested Wetlands?” 5/28/12). Actually, if you read through the sensationalism you see that there isn’t even a story here at all.

While the subtitle reads: “Environmentalist alleges Antrim County official looked the other way as wetlands were destroyed,” buried near the end we find this quote from the DEQ: “It is true that soil erosion officers don’t have any authority over wetlands, he said. It is up to the DEQ to issue Part 303 permits that allow the destruction of wetlands.”

So
Heidi Shaffer (Antrim County soil erosion officer) did her job and is
being persecuted because an environmentalist feels threatened and a
couple from downstate has to share their “little piece of Northern
Michigan” lakefront with a neighboring land owner? Shameful.

As
a property owner in Antrim County, I’m glad to see our local government
placing an emphasis on responsible development while also respecting
the rights of land owners.

The
Holts had their property professionally evaluated and followed the
permitting procedure, Shaffer did her job to its legal limit on behalf
of the county, and the DEQ was made aware of everything. It sounds like
the only people in violation are the ones sticking their noses in (and
trespassing) where they don’t belong.

And, of course, anyone who thinks this is a story worth getting excited about in the first place...

The
real story? The DEQ (and the Army Corps Of Engineers), after weeks of
investigation and testing, just determined that the developed area of
the property is NOT a wetland. Oops.

Senate
Bill 1151 clearly makes the Michigan Public Service Commission the
ultimate regulatory authority of ferry services in Michigan. No longer
will any municipality be free to abuse its regulatory powers by:

1.)
Conveying the impression it’s considering terminating the life of one
of its ferry services without reason, forcing the ferry service to
unnecessarily commit resources to fight for its life.

2.) Showing reckless disregard for its franchise fee’s consequences to its ferry licensees.

3.)
Using a franchise fee as a “head tax” on visitors to that municipality.
I don’t believe municipalities are allowed to “charge admission” to
themselves.

4.) Risking Michigan citizens’ access to one of their state parks. Please ask your legislators to support this legislation.

Stopping the invaders Invasive
species are the greatest threat to the Great Lakes. As a leading import
market, the US receives hundreds of millions of live non-native animals
each year.

Invasive
species are a persistent and costly thorn in the side of the American
taxpayer. To stop the spread of just one of these invasive species –
Asian carp – into the Great Lakes, federal, state, and local governments
have spent approximately $204 million from 1998-2011.

In
Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 alone, the federal budget allocated
approximately $120 million to control the Asian carp. These costs could
have been avoided if authorities had considered their risks beforehand
and restricted their importation.

Under
the current 112-year-old law that regulates these imports, it takes an
average of four years for the federal government to stop the import of
harmful and invasive species.

To
address this problem, the Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of
2012 (HR 5864) was recently introduced. This legislation strengthens the
ability of federal regulators to make rapid, science-based decisions on
whether non-native fish or wildlife species pose a risk to ecosystems
within the U.S. and cause economic damage or threaten public health. It
will stop the influx of damaging invasive species, while still allowing
trade in the vast majority of non-native animals that pose no risk of
invasiveness or threat to the health of humans or wildlife.

We
must take steps now to prevent the next Asian carp, Burmese python,
northern snakehead, or red lionfish crisis. These destructive invaders
will continue to come into our country via globalized trade until
Congress steps in to make a difference.

Jennifer McKay, Policy Specialist Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council

Corrections

•
There was a spelling error in last week's article on iris farming. The
term “zeroscaping” is not correct; the proper word for landscaping for
dry climates is “xeriscaping.” The word was developed by the Denver
Water Board in the early 1980s. The prefix “xer” is from the Greek
meaning “dry.”

• In a recent Spectator column,
it should be noted that the Simpson- Bowles Commission did not make any
recommendations to the President. The two heads of the commission made
recommendations without the commission's approval.